Means for raising sunken vessels.



was 7 M Y R. DE ARAZOZA.

MEANS FOR RAISING SUNKEN VESSELS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPLZL 1917' 1,274,230, Patented July 30,1918.

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R. DE ARAZOZA.

MEANS ma RAISING sumxau' vassns.

APPLICATION FILED P127. 19H.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

H a F Txqfliu I" I J) M gwvwwtoz Patented July 30, 1918.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

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To all whom it may concern p 7 Be it known that 'I, RAFA L DE ARAzozA, a citizen of theRepublicof Cuba, residing at Habana, Cuba, have invented new and useful Improvements in Mean's for Raising sunken vlessels, of which the followingis a specification. 4

It has heretoforebeen proposed {to raise sunken ships'by means of an: apparatus adapted togenerate gases and by compressed air for driving the wateroutioflthe Icom partments'of the-vessel. However,the presence of 1 the air confined within Zthe interior of the apparatus has heen ithe causepofthe formation of an air cushion within :the

compartments itending, "especially at great depths, v to .destroylth'e usefu1nessofthe apparatus on 'accountbf-theienormousfpressure hich is apt to flatten or :even.crack'. the hull ofthesame. The present inventionis intended to. avoid these disadvantages rby providing an apparatusin whichthegases .ofany kind are generated within I the inner: vessel and also allows the fmanufacture of .the ..app.aratus chiefly.of veryfthinlplates. F "I According "to" the present invention,- the charge of substances generating the gas can be dividedin' sneh 'a manner that a diver by operating Fonei of two operating triggers, can develop siich a quantity' :of' gas as is necessary to allow a convenient handling of the device for attaching the apparatus to the vessel tobe raised in whiehmov'einent the cable to which thetfioatin'g vessel is secured on board the salvage vessel-can be detached and the. diver can change the position of the body to be iraised iii-such. a manner that .it may .mkmp a position most convenient. for this. raising-by attaching the apparatus to one or the 'other side of such body. 3 7

The apparatusaccording to the present invention is of very simpleiconstruction and does away with-a number of unnecessary parts adapted to complicate the .apparatus and to'reduce its power of traction."

A further object of the invention :is :to be seenin the useof a liquid seal, as oil or another substitute "between'ithe water con tained in the outer body-ofrthe apparatus and the generated gases in the inner body in order to prevent a dissolutionoi the-latter inthe water due to the great pressure which they -must"=have in'oi'der to counteract .the exterior pressure of the waterupon the apseI 'sruKea a sresparatus while the same ,is'descending and m ssed! s ii fe Pa ented Jul .3 915 Y Application filed-September 27,19 17. :Seria1 N.o..193/516." 5:

which is increasing at the rateof:0.l :kg. .for

each square em. for each meter of depth. Y

- In the accompanying drawing: i.

'Figure 1 i ailongitudinal seetionthroughthe apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a similar section through :said' 1 apparatus taken on a rectangle to the View shown in Fig. =1'and. showing ithe -interior of theinnerzvessel. V v The outer vessel-A of; the

apparatus I -the forni of a-truncatedcone maddof-iron plates with a convexbottom'zmndtop, or,

any other-dorm; the center of which .a body or vessel B of smaller-"dimensions oi the" same-shape and .material is embodied which projects more or :1ess'rat-both :ends i above or below the vessel A. Th'ewinteriOr of said vessel B constitutes a chamber in which the chemicalsubstances for 'theggeneration ofthe gases are deposited. The ages- :jsel-B also has a convex bottom and-top (izG and is provided at its lower i extremitywith areinforcing collar to which are securedthe eyes for attaching the chains or cables :for

the rod 1) and the endjof' t-he rod of one ofthe triggers, respectively, and are adapted to be operated" by the diver, and, :from the surface; @Sai'd' cabl es attached t0 the 'rods D and I are'guided over rellers' the-top of :the vesselgB openin 'fF is 7 provided thrOugh whi'cH the Y chemica are "supplied to the vessel B and which-is conveniently closed. F is 'anppening iat the bottom of saidwessel B'to'r-lthe' removal of dirt and sediment collecting-within said 5 boxes H H are provided at= the points' of entrance of-the rods in theves'sel B and around said rods coil 'springs I I' are wound: tendinn to hold the rods I I in position. J is a partition in the-center of the f vessel 13 which divides the central part of the vessel 1111p two equal cha nbersf which are equally high and" in whichth charge of chemical substances "is :to be divided afccording to the wish of-the operator. -Any suitable number of partitions',ohamber.s or

bottom plates maybe provided;- :Blates 'K'K fsw'ingingflaround "a common p'ivot X are adapted to close the bottom ofthc chambers formed by the partition J A ball M of suflicient water displacement to counterbalance the weight of the chain or .wire cable, or any other fastening means, and the hooks attached thereto is intended to be conveniently handled by the diver for positioning the apparatus. Chains N N are secured to one end of each of said bottom plates K K, while their other ends are secured to the top of the vessel B.

A val e O is provided shown, and is adapted to let the air confined within the vessel A escape and, at the same time, serves as means for the introduction of oil into the vessel. A.

Plugs P P are provided at the top of the two T-pieces secured to the top of the vessel A and the sides of the vessel B and are screwed into two inner valves Q Q. These valves are intended to prevent the entrance of water from the outer vessel into the innerone and for permitting the passage of the gases generated within the inner vessel toward the exterior.

S is a hand wheel upon the upper end of a rod which is guided through a guide plate N and which permits the convenient opening and closing of the bottom valve T to any desired degree. This valve is spring controlled and permits the inundation of the outer vessel and the expulsion of the water contained therein according to the selection of the strength of said springs, while the other valve is automatically work- The apparatus operates in the following manner: The cover F of the inner vessel B is lifted and a quantity of water is supplied through the opening which is suliicient for generating a volume of gas from the chemical charge within said vessel (if acetylene gas is used 56.25% water is necessary) in order to decompose the calcium carbid; and in caseoof otherv gases being generated or used, a quantity'of chemical substances is introduced through said top openingin the proper proportions. Hereafter, the chains N N are pulled until the bottom plates K K are completely in horizontal position at -which moment the links of said chains will be caught by one of the rods I I of the corresponding trigger device which has been pushed in position by the corresponding spring I. In this manner the charge will be equally divided into two parts or portions by means of the partition J. The up= per opening F is now closed again and through the valve 0 a sufficient volume of oil or another substance is introduced to form a mantle or seal of about lto mm. thickness upon the water which enters the vessel A and in'this manner the escape of the gases intothe water which afterward shall be expelled is prevented and the loss of a great volume of the gas generated is avoided; The apparatus is now in condition for submersion.

The hand wheel S is now operated to make several turns in Order to open the valve T and to permit the entrance of water into the vessel A.,- The valve 0 is then opened for allowing the air contained within the vessel A to escape in the same proportion in which it is replaced by the water entering through the valve T until all of the air has been expelled and the vessel is now completely inundated and without air confined in its interior, inorder to prevent deformation which necessarily would produce an increasing pressure.

After the vessel A has been completely submerged, the valve 0 and the valve T will be closed,the latter by a respective turn of the handwheel S and'the vessel which is now in condition for submersion is held by a cable passed through the eyes provided, for this purpose upon its upper cover. In this condition the apparatus will descend by its own weight until its reaches the application point. In this state the diver entrusted with the work of raising a vessel can conveniently oped which will expel half of the water (more or less) contained in the vessel A so that the apparat-uswhich is'firmly anchored, will exert a pull upon its point of anchorage which permits the hauling in of the cable to which it is fastened without danger that the apparatus leave its place. The other trigger is operated from the surface with a cable R at the starting moment of the raising operation and is secured to a buoy which approximately indicates at the surface of the water the location of the apparatus. By the operation of the cable R the rest of the charge will be precipitated so that the maximum traction force of the floating vessel will be produced.

It will be clear that if a sufficient number of floating devices is used, that the united force of all will be suflicient to overcome the dead weight of the submerged body, the displacement of which is known so that it can be raised to the surface. only be necessary to draw the respective chains or cables in order to bring the vessel to be raised into the'proper position.

In Fig. 2 one of the chains connected to a plate K is shown after having been operated by, the diver.

In the same measure in which the ascent It will therefore is progressing the exterior pressure will be progressively lessened while the inner pressure would remain constant if no regulating valves are provided, so that the destruction of the apparatus would be caused. This, however, is avoided by theautomatic operation of the valves T T which are provided for equilibrating the pressure at all times in such a manner that when the apparatus reaches the surface of the water, inits interior, a pressure only will prevail which is equal to the atmospheric pressure and to the resistance to which the tension of the springs has been selected which tend to close said valves. The tension of the springs has been previously selected in such a manner that the interior pressure is slightly higher than the outside pressure on account of the resistance of said springs. During the time of the ascent, the excess of gas which is not used for the proper operation of the apparatus has escaped through the valves T T.

If the apparatus is to be stored away it is only necessary to open the bottom at the point F in order to remove the dirt and sediment and to clean the apparatus and let it dry.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a device of the character described, a vessel, a gas generator in said vessel, a means for dividing said generator into two charge chambers, means turning around a common pivot and constituting the movable bottom for said chambers, and chains secured to one end of each of said means constituting said bottom and with their other ends to the top of said'vessel for alternately operating one or the other bottom of said chambers for allowing one orthe other part of the charge to be deposited into the bottom of the generator, trigger devices near the top of the vessel, extending through the sides thereof for operating said chains to ac tuate said bottom constituting means, and a seal between the water contained in the vessel and the gas generated within the generator, substantially as described.

2. In a device of the character'described, a vessel, a cylindrical gas generator concentrically arranged within said vessel, a partition wall centrally disposed within said generator for dividing the same into two ing the air and water supply and exhaust,

substantially as described.

3. In a device of the character described,

a vessel, a cylindrical gas generator concen trically arranged within said vessel, a partition wall centrally disposed within said generator for dividing the same into two chambers, a movable bottom plate for each of said chambers pivotally secured to, a common center and supporting the charge, chains secured to one .end of each of said bottom plates, trigger devices for op' crating said chains, manually operated means for operating said trigger devices, and spring controlled bottom valves in said vessel for automatically regulating the supply of water, and means for exhaust of the air and gas, substantially as described.

4. In a device of the character described, a vessel,a gas generator arranged within said vessel, means for dividing the generator into a plurality of chambers, a movable bottom plate for each of said chambers pivotally secured to a common center and supporting the charge, chains secured with one end to the bottom and the other to the top of the generator, and a plurality of T-pieces secured to and connecting both vessels,

valves attached inside of said T-pieces, and plugs entering said T-pieces forcontrolling said valves for avoiding air pockets and allowing the entrance of water into the generator, and a ball float for counterbalancing the weight of the attaching means for allowing a ready handling of the apparatus.

RAFAEL DE ARAZOZA.

coplel of this patent may be obtained for five cent: each. by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents.

wuhinltol, D. 0. 

